More Then Just a Sidekick
by Deviched
Summary: [Based off the game][Chad/Reader] Chad wants to spend more time with you and invites you to Srambad- there's a tower that he wants you to view from.


Your training session is just about over. You feel your muscles aching more then usual, it may be time to visit one of Sufokua's trade bridges for a trip to their highly renown saunas. Trank has already bid his farewells in the form of gestures and left for home, leaving you with Chad.

You tell Chad that he could go home as well and that they would start their routine again next week. Chad scratches his head and rakes it back, a behavior you've picked up that meant he was holding something back. You ask him if he needed something.

"Since the day isn't over yet, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out in Srambad with me." Chad crosses his arms and looks at nothing in particular.

You had no plans anyway after your training other then relaxing, so you accept Chad's invitation.

It's been awhile since you've went to Srambad just for the scenery. It was nice the first time, but the overwhelming amount of guard dogs and crazy alchemists turned your walk in the park into an all out brawl with the residents.

Pushing yourself out of the Zaap, you step onto the slightly soggy ground of Srambad. The mist is thicker then what it was the last time you remembered, it was also noticeably more chilly. You ask Chad if Srambad was experiencing some seasonal changes (you're not sure yourself since Srambad is an island in another dimension).

"No, Srambad doesn't normally have any type of climate like your world does." Chad walks ahead, stopping to look around and up to the sky, inspecting the atmosphere himself. "It might be those crazy mages tossing things into the air." Chad said in an annoyed manner.

Heh, he thought they were insane too.

Chad stretches his legs and fastens his boots, as if he was ready to bolt. "I want to show you this tower that has a nice view before it gets any colder." Chad starts running backwards while motioning you to follow him. When you pick up to a jog, Chad turns around to a full sprint to wherever this tower was.

After a minute of sharp turns, sliding down the bone bridges, hopping over fences, and dodging whips of the trainers, you consider summoning your dragonturkey. The sore spots from earlier are really starting to bite your sides right now and Chad isn't the one to halt in his tracks when determined. As soon as you look down to find your dragonturkey scroll, a high pitched whistle catches your attention. Pulling your head back up, you can't see Chad anywhere. You stop your search for the scroll and slow down your pace, trying to pick up Chad's trail. Another whistle echoes to your left, into one of the many alleyways of Srambad. The setting sun was enough to reveal where Chad was. He was clinging to an aged roof gutter, one of his hands near his mouth behind his mask and his leg curling around the part that is more dislodged from the wall. The gutter was leaning under his weight, threatening to collapse at any moment, but Chad doesn't seem to be concerned with it.

"Shortcut!" Chad readjusts himself to climb higher on the pipe.

You sigh to yourself. You could've been in a spa right now, letting the skilled massagers work out every knot in your back. Regardless, you make your way to the same gutter Chad used to reach to the rooftops. You've never really needed the skill to climb something before, not even in battle. You take it slow, using your thighs to inch your way higher. Things become a bit more uncomfortable around the same bend in the gutter that Chad used to hold himself up. Gripping onto the next piece, the metal groans under you and leans outward. You let go and rollback to your previous position. Even if you were to fall, you'd only come out with a really big bruise, but still, that's not really your desired goal right now.

Chad pokes his head over the roof, wondering what's taking so long. He meets your gaze and notices your progress. "Just keep going, that creaky part has been there for as long as I can remember."

You're a bit reassured with the partial safety net that the gutter was stronger then it looks. Retrying with new vigor, you use both arms to haul yourself higher then your previous attempt. The metal responds with a bellowing metallic screech, lasting longer then both Chad's run and your previous try. You fling yourself upwards, legs over the gap of the pipe now, but the sounds don't ease. No longer brave enough to trust the gutter to support you, you extend your feet to the wall, using their friction to continue on. You feel the pipe tremble violently and reflexively hold on the piece you're on for dear life. A hand pries your highest arm off he metal and secures itself on your forearm before harshly pulling upwards. You're hanging on the edge, only supported by Chad now. You take a quick look down, the pipeline has fallen, bits of gunk scattering around their holder. He tugs you up once more, enough for your other hand to reach the roof to pull yourself up. Taking in a deep breath, you haul yourself over the rim, your legs barely able to take anymore action. You tumble onto the dusty roof, your fall making a small 'poof' of the mysterious particles unique only to Srambad.

Chad looks over the ridge to assess the damage. "You were heavy enough to collapse the same drain I used for years now." You can't see it, but you know Chad is smirking right now.

You respond to Chad that muscle is heavier then fat.

Chad lets out a huff and opts to stretch his arms. "You can see the tower over there."

You follow Chad's gaze. The tower was an extension of a class temple-like structure (you're not sure what they referred to in Srambad) just a few rooftops away. The bricks became more purple in gradient as it rises from its grey-blue base, the sides have cracks of yellow from the last rays of daylight left. The very top has a small beautifully decorated room that uses colors unfamiliar to Srambad. Inside houses a grey bell with lines of gold on each crease, the red ribbons tied to each side of the bell sway to the gentle breeze. The room may be just big enough for two people to sit on the windows that the bell would swing out from when being rung. You notice that there wasn't anywhere to reach the tower. Your legs begin throbbing in pain.

You ask Chad if you would be climbing again.

"Yep. Aren't you glad I warmed you up?" Chad lets out a small chuckle and walks by your side. He extends a hand out, "Come on, it'll be worth it."

You take his hand and let him get you back on your (really sore) feet.

"We'll take the easy way."

Chad walks down the roof tiles, minding the few that looked like they were ready to crumble away. You follow him at much slower speed. Chad stops at the corner, placing a foot on a more fierce looking Bulldagger gargoyle. He briefly checks behind for you before looking back ahead. He makes a small leap from one roof to another and lands without a sound. You continue your path to the same corner. Reaching the edge, you place a foot on the gargoyle just as Chad did. The gap between the roofs wasn't as wide as it looked when you were further up, it's maybe an arms length long. You see Chad spinning a dagger on his finger to occupy the time. You take a leap and land on the other roof, slightly stumbling from landing on a slanted surface. Chad takes your hand to help you keep stable and lets go when he sees that you've gotten the hang of it.

You progress with Chad without any problems over the next and last rooftop. The tiles to the tower are a bit steep, but you eventually make it close enough to touch the powdered bricks of the tower. Looking at the height of the tower now, it's about three times your size. You run your fingers over the powdered blocks, feeling the occasional grain that clumped together. When you remove and inspect your hand, they're covered in the fine blue-purple soot. You quickly dust them off on your pants.

"The ash is used to dry the clay that's from here. The higher you go, there's going to be more dust since nobody actively runs by to brush it off." Now that you look more closely, Chad's own outfit has hints of the powder on it, a few spots older-looking.

Chad circles around the structure, finding his own past handprints. "Here," Chad hooks his foot into a seemingly man made large crack in the wall and lifts himself to the next crease. You observe from below as Chad ascends to the top, bits of the ash falling as he moves. With one last exertion, Chad flings himself over the crest and rolls into the small room. He peers out from the top, waiting for you.

You rub your hands together, feeling your calluses becoming heated. You begin your last trek on buildings for the day, perhaps for the lifetime. As you reach halfway, Chad seats himself on the edge and rests his back on the dark blue column with a leg freely hanging, scraping the side. You feel your grip weakening just as you were about to reach the edge. Chad notices and grabs your arm to ease your efforts.

You made it at last. The caress of the wind was refreshing, you take a deep breath in to savor it. Chad gets your attention by holding onto your shoulder. He nudges his head to the side, to the other window of the bell house. You do so, needing to hunker down a bit as you move else you'll hit the bell. Chad takes a seat, settling in the same position as before. You take some time to shuffle around, making sure you wouldn't fall off. Both of your legs lie inside the tower, your back straight on the column.

You set your eyes to the horizon, the view is absolutely breath taking, as Chad promised. The small weakening orange curve of what remaining sun there is seeps though the grey and blue clouds, birthing a mixture of greens that flourish to yellow as the clouds grow lighter. This is certainly a brand new side of Srambad that you would treasure, all thanks to Chad for bringing you here. You slowly avert your gaze to Chad to express your thanks, but it seems that Chad has finally worn himself out. With both arms loosely wrapped around himself, you can't help but notice a few strands of loose hair waving in front of his mask as he steadily breaths.

You involuntarily shiver. The cold temperature has done wonders for you when you were moving, a cloak of protection from overheating. Now that you're up at the peak of the tower, inactive, the frosty air serves as a whip lashing at you every so often. You swing your legs outside, afraid that you might accidentally push against the floor and toss yourself over. Wrapping your arms around yourself, you rub your sides, trying to regain some warmth.

You haven't noticed Chad waking up and sliding towards you. You feel a weight on your shoulder and something pressed against you, sharing its heat. You turn and see Chad leaning on you, dozing off again, a bit of his mask was shifted by your shoulder. You're unable to see anything more then his eyebrows, but you respect his privacy and look away back into the horizon. The two of you rest this way for awhile, enjoying each other's cozy presence.

You stir yourself awake, remembering not to move much to disturb Chad. The bell behind you was moving, emitting a soft, haunting, dull chime. The sun is tucked away, outlines of the moon begin to reveal themselves, signifying that the night will soon wash over the island. You gently shake Chad awake and tell him that it's time to go home for the both of you.

"Mm, you're right." Chad leans off you and sits up straight. The side he used to be on burns slightly from the sudden frigid air.

Before you leave, you wanted to ask what exactly is this building you're on.

"Oh, it's just another prayer hideout to Sram. This bell tower in particular was built in honor of the the modern and traditional assassins finally getting along, this hideout was the one they used to proclaim the truce." Chad reaches up to hold the bell and raises it higher before releasing it, letting it chime longer and louder. Chad runs his hand though his hair and scratches the back of his neck.

You nod in acknowledgement of the new found information of the architecture.

You reach for your bag, searching for your recall potion to return back to your nation. While doing so, you take the chance to thank Chad for the opportunity.

Chad waves it off in a 'don't worry about it' manner and averts his attention to the still ringing bell.

You've found the red vial of your recall potion, it's contents swirl around, waiting to be free.

"Do you think we can do something like this again?" Chad asks, turning back to you.

You assure Chad that this isn't what he's supposed to do as a sidekick, but you would love to have another experience like this with him.

Chad takes note of the sidekick part, "What if I want to be more then just a sidekick to you?", and crosses his arms, looking away from you.

You didn't mean it that way, you told Chad.

"Whatever," he swings his legs inside and faces you again. "Good night, may the shadows guide you home safety."

You return your farewell and good nights, ready to depart with a toss of the bottle. You throw the bottle in the air and let it drop to the floor. The yellow liquid quickly suds to a smokey form that latch onto your clothes, you can feel the tingling sensation as it changes the world around you. You wanted to wave one last time to Chad and turn your head before you were teleported, but before you've even raised your arm, you feel a soft pressure on your right cheek. Before you know it, you're sitting on top of the grass of your nation. Standing up, you brush yourself off and begin walking to the nearest dragonturkey taxi home. The fuzzy tingling feeling from the recall bottle has worn out, but the same warm tingling on your cheek still lingers.


End file.
